Pipe cutters are well known in the art of plumbing and other industries that utilize pipe and tubing. Pipe cutters provide a cleaner and more convenient way to make cuts than saws. There are two main types of common pipe cutters. A first variety is shearing, wherein a sharp blade applies a direct force to a pipe. The force may be applied via a mechanical advantage, such as ratchet or lever. Ratcheting pipe cutters are common and although useful for cutting plastic, they generally do not work on metallic tubes and pipes.
The other variety of pipe cutter is the adjustable cutter wheel that utilizes one or more hardened metallic wheels that rotate around the circumference of a tube or pipe. A force applied to the wheels in the direction of the tube create deformation of the pipe material. After one or more rotations, the cutting wheel displaces enough pipe material to separate the pipe into two pieces. Typically, rotation of the pipe cutter around the pipe is accomplished by the user and a screw applies the force to the cutting wheel against the pipe. Although useful for a small number of cuts, many sequential cuts can be slow and tiring for the user. In the situation of daily professional use, prior art manual wheel type pipe cutters can cause repetitive motion injuries.
Electronic pipe cutters are available for professional use. They typically have an electric motor embedded in the pipe cutter. The electric motor causes rotation of the pipe, or cutting wheels, which makes them suitable for many repetitive cuts. The downside of electronic pipe cutters is that they are expensive. Wherein a homeowner may have a single project requiring many cuts, the cost of professional electronic pipe cutters makes them unpractical for such use.
In these respects, the present invention departs from conventional concepts of the prior art by providing a wheel type pipe cutter that is electronically driven by a typical drill. The present invention provides a lightweight and compact pipe cutter that is suitable for professional and non-professional use.